Why was it a sin when Utah steadied the arch?

It wasn't a sin per se, but it was odd.

In 2008, Wall Arch near Devils Garden Trail at Arches National Park fell. It was the 12th largest arch in the park. When Delicate Arch, a tall, thin thing, grew a new crack, the Utah secretary of the interior decided it would be best to provide some kind of support so it wouldn't fall. They didn't know what kind of contraption would steady the arch and still keep photo lines clear (or at least interesting), so they launched a competition for geologists and engineers.

Some of the entries are what you might expect. The civil engineers leaned toward scaffolding worked into a kind of exoskeleton. A tech mogul suggested they take a 3D image, knock down the arch, and 3D print a replica out of plastic. One guy suggested tying ropes to the pieces and holding them up with hot air balloons.

The winner was a metallurgist the San Franciscan company Plexicorp named Dr. Jules Nichols. He had just discovered transparent aluminum and designed a cradle that would fit under the delicate stone; he ironically called it an "arch support."

Well, that's who the winner was supposed to be. Somehow the entries got mixed up and the committee called Dr. Jules Nichols, podiatrist from Kansas City. She was rather surprised as she hadn't entered the contest. Or known about it. But when the committee told her she was chosen to provide a support to make sure an arch didn't fall, she thought she could handle it.

Then she saw the arch.

The State of Utah didn't inspect the site until it was completed. They quickly realized that to remove Dr. Nichols's support would mean the immediate collapse of the arch.

The committee could have been more careful notifying their winner, but Dr. Nichols's arch support does work. And it's not a sin. I mean, it's not like God struck them dead like he did when Uzzah steadied the Ark of the Covenant.

---